Alpena weekly argus., 1887-11-09


house and garden, IL was generally agreed
that he should have guardian over hin
! TO save his property.
Talk died out, however, TO be revivcC
again by another astounding act Of folly.
The Ellomah hon Works, about a mil,
| from Brantford, had exhausted the bed o.
| ore they had been working for over forty
| years, aud had TO bring the crude materia
| some distance by rail aud water. IL began
| to be question whether IL would not pay
to build a new furnace near the source O.
supply and abandon the old one. Suddenly
however, new ore bed was opened close
at hand. The forty-two acres of clayey hill
on the Peabody farm was found TO cover
heavy deposit OF limonite. AS that ore gen
orally contains impurities only fitting it fol
"cold short" iron, little attention was paic
to II. But when the chemist Of the com
pany made three separate analyses and dis
covered the usual phosphorous was re
placed by nearly three per cent. Of mangan
ese oxide, the thing took another shape
The company offered Foljambe handsome
royalty, which he at once declined. He
would sell outright or not ut all. After
some chaffering and rough survey of the
bed, they took all the farm but the widows
i've acres, and paid $4,000.
"A fool for luck" was the general com
ment. But the reputation of Foljambe for
downright folly was at its height when II
leaked out afterward that he had settled
s35, $50 dollars on Mrs. Peabody-that is
the interest during life TO her, and the
principal to her daughter afterward.. Nc
word suficed to express the wonder, con.
tempt aud disgust at this act OF folly.
Old Figgs died about this time, and Oal
ri mn q har in ha h,,a
could put in 5000. l had saved little
over half of that by pinching and screwing
but was puzzled about the rest Foljambe
found 1t out, and gave me the money on my
note. Some folks may think this folly or
his part, but did not. Neither did he, fol-
/ have paid 1t back long since
When the Widow Peabody got her money
she sent Rebecca OF to boarding school, as
she could well afford to, and there the gir
remained for four years, barring visits
homo at vacation. When she came back Il
stay, she had grown into handsome, self
possessed young woman, and she was quite
admired by the young fellows around. In
addition to good looks and good manners
she wou Id have nice sum in hard cash In
time-a good thing TO add to q young mans
family resources. But she was of q do
mestic turn, stayed at homo with her
mother and rarely went abroad. No suitor
seemed to meet favor in her eyes, though
she had several.
During Rebecca's absence at school, Fol-
jambe had been going along quietly, and
people had ceased to talk OF him; but
shortly after her return he broke out again.
One day, an old man in dusty suit and
boots that had been blackened week be.
fore, and who carried small grip-sack,
got out At Brantford station and inquired
II the Widow Peabody lived at the old farm
yet. W. soon learned that he was the long.
lost David Peabody who had come back
after all these years, apparently as poor as
q church mouse, and doub less with intent
to sponge on the Widow Peabody. He was
not so very old, either, but looked like @
man whom hard luck and hot climate had
dried up aud wrinkled.
To our surprise he was made welcome by
the widow ana Rebecca, anu took up his
abode there. He was q queer specimen.
After the dust Of travel had been brushed
OF he was clean enough; but his clothes
were Of ordinary material and we'll worn
II was evident that he was poor, but he
didn't seem to mind ii. He walked about
and hold himself up as though he owned
oue-half the town and meant to buy the
other. He was ready with his tongue, too
and, If any one said disagreeable or i'm.
pertinent thing, could repay it with interest.
Foljambe took great notion to him, and
told me that the old man was keen and had
wonderfully practical business ideas for one
who had not profited by his precepts, q
thing have observed to be not uncommon.
man can pick up moro valuable hints
from the unsuccessful around him than he
can from sharp business men. So the two
grew quite intimate, and almost any fine
evening might be seen In confab together
on the Widows front porch, with the widow
and Rebecca near, interested listen ers To
their chat.
This was in August, 1850. The whole coun-
try was in a state of excitement. IL was
known that reconciliation between the war
ring Democratic factions was impossible
and that Lincoln would be elected. The
question was, would there be wari Fol
jambe suddenly put the plantation in charge
OF old Uncle David, and went Off South. He
visited Virginia, North Carolina and Geor-
gia, and was gone about two months. When
he came back, Iasked him, "Docs tho South
really mean fight, Mr.. Foljambei"
ut really does" he replied sadly; 81
don't think they'l II be able TO keepit up more
than a year or so, unless England inter
feres, for we have the most money and the
most men; but IL will be fierce while it lasts.
II is going to disturb values very much as
we'll as domestic relations"
The first thing Foljambe did on coming
homo was to build number Of long wooden
sheds, some of them inclosed: and he kept
the carpenters going day and night. The
whole neighborhood was aroused. Was he
going into sheep-raising on large scale,
or what crowning folly was Fool Jim at
nowi was his only partisan. Every one
said he was goiug stark, staring mad. But
the excitement grew to a hubbub when
there came carload after carload, by the
railway, OF barrels of rosin and bales OF
cotton-the former stored under the open
and the latter in the enclosed sheds. The
cotton did not excite so much astonishmcnt
but tho rosin Such an amount Of it.!
Some one had the curiosity to nose around
and count the number OF barrels piled in
one Of the long and high sheds. Ten thou
sand OF them And there were ive more
such sheds, and jammod full. Sixty thou
sand barrels Of rosin! And no end OF cot
ton bales What would he do with iti
What could he do with 1t,
The only partisan he had, as have said,
was myself, and picked up q dozen quar-
rels about It. Some one asked old Peabody
about 1t.
"Uncle David, is Fool Jim GAVIN to set up
cotton factory an ship.yard! Mebbe
he sem his ships down by the railroad"
Sonny" said David, pack your head in
ice. James Foljambo knows more in one
minute than you're likely TO know in a
year."
In the midst OF this clamor came bit OF
gossip not too pleasant There was venom
In it. Bill Cowan, who was always nosing
about and kept mis- eyes open and his tongue
busy, came into the shop one day TO get O
plug OF chewing tobacco.
"Teli you what, Oalchieze," he said, ad-
dressing my partner, II guess they'll call
Fool Jim VILLAIN Jim,' afore long.
What do you mean, you scamp'" de
manded angrily.
"Scamp yourself, an see how you like
it," he retorted. What do l meant III
tell you, an / amt afraid to. was crossin
by Widow Peabody's last night, and whaI
does see but Jim Foljambe with his arm
around Becky Peabody's waist, an she
a-leanin' up to him like a sick kitten TO 9